IO 
NOTES ON PLUM CULTURE. 
Some growers prefer to cut from four to six inches above 
the bud, while others would at once cut as close to the bud 
as it is safe. The idea in cutting high is to leave a stub which 
may serve as a support to which the shoot from the bud 
may be tied, the stub being removed at the close of the first 
season’s growth. All shoots below as well as above the 
scion bud must be removed, otherwise they will starve the 
bud by diverting the sap to their own development. Further 
production of these shoots from the stock will occur, and 
they must be frequently checked in order to secure the best 
growth of the scion. 
By far the greater number of plum trees grown com¬ 
mercially are produced by this process of budding. It is the 
easiest and best way when trees are grown in quantity, but 
as good trees can be produced by grafting, and often it is 
more convenient to graft than to bud. Here at the station 
we have used both methods and have found grafting rather 
more uniformly successful than budding. During the bud¬ 
ding season the weather is hot and dry, and frequently no 
water is availabie for irrigating; many buds dry out and fail 
to take, so that under conditions similar to ours the writer 
believes the method of propagating by grafting will give the 
best satisfaction, and particularly to the fruit grower who 
propagates in a small way for his own use. I am aware that 
the idea is current that stone fruits, and particularly plums, 
are difficult to graft. It is true that certain precautions must 
be observed that need receive little attention when grafting 
the apple, but these simple precautions taken, the work is no 
more difficult and success is as certain as with the apple. Of 
course the mechanical work of putting scion and stock to¬ 
gether must be well done, but outside of this there are three 
points upon which success mainly depends: 
i.st—The perfectly dormant condition of both stock and 
scion at the time the operation is performed. 
2nd—The protection of the union by coating with wax. 
3rd—Proper care of the plants between grafting and 
setting in nursery. 
The work is usually performed during March or April, 
and may be continued so long as the dormant condition can 
be maintained. Plums, however, start growth under slight 
stimulus, and a few warm days will end the work, even when 
all ordinary precautions have been taken. We have fre¬ 
quently filled the passage-way in our outside storage-pit 
with snow and ice as a means of keeping the temperature 
down, and have thus gained a few days. It is best to com- 
